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Stream: Dead Gaze, “Rowdy Jungle”

Last time we heard from R. Cole Furlow — who has been releasing distorted pop nuggets as Dead Gaze since 2009— he put out a song called "I Found the Ending," which Emilie Friedlander described as "massive sounding dream-pop." So it's not too shocking that the first single from his proper debut full-length sees the Mississippi dude wandering even further into outright anthemic, widescreen territory. "Rowdy Jungle" definitely favors huge hooks and thematic optimism over the murky, saturated production of his past efforts. Please believe me when I say / there is absolutely nothing that can get in our way , he sneers confidently on the song's bridge — the reverb cocoon that typically surrounds his vocals still present, but noticeably minimized. If Furlow told us he's been actively listening to The Blue Album in excess lately, we wouldn't question it. Brain Holiday is out October 22 via Palmist.